Disney’s Jungle Cruise floats to the top of the weekend box office

Last Updated on August 10, 2021

Rock and Blunt drift to #1!

Another big-screen adaptation of a Disney theme park ride was the top draw for crowds this weekend as JUNGLE CRUISE opened in first place with an estimated $34.2 million!

The new adventure performed fairly typical for Dwayne Johnson's non-FAST & FURIOUS leading roles — better than the $24.9 million opening for 2018's SKYSCRAPER but not quite that of RAMPAGE's $35.7 million start in that same year. But it wasn't even a close match for co-star Emily Blunt's recent A QUIET PLACE: PART II, which opened with $47.5 million back in May.

The PG-13 action-comedy from director Jaume Collet-Serra (NON-STOP, THE SHALLOWS) also netted $27.6 million from international audiences for a worldwide opening of $61.7 million.

The movie, delayed from its original planned release in July 2020 due to coronavirus, was also simultaneously released on the Disney+ streaming service for an additional $30 charge. Disney claims the Premier Access launch pocketed an extra $30 million to technically give the movie a $90 million global total for the weekend.

The family-friendly boat trip down the Amazon, also featuring Paul Giamatti, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall and Jesse Plemons, cost a reported $200 million.

It was nearly a wash for critics, who gave the movie an average of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 49 on Metacritic. Gather up some steam and chug on over to the JoBlo review HERE.

While the overall weekend box office looked grim compared to a traditional "best case" summer period, with only one release reaching eight figures, it was also only the second time since the pandemic started that every movie in the Top 10 each made over $1 million. So that's… something.

Opening in second place was the new period fantasy epic THE GREEN KNIGHT with $6.78 million for the weekend.

Directed by Pete Lowery (THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, PETE'S DRAGON), the latest spin on the King Arthur legend was initially scheduled for May 2020 before getting delayed along with everything else last year.

The R-rated release, distributed by indie company A24 and estimated to have cost under $30 million, features Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris and Joel Edgerton.

Critics were mostly impressed with the take on the endlessly adapted material, giving the movie an 89% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 84. Get medieval with the JoBlo review HERE.

In third place was last week's box office winner as filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's latest horror-thriller OLD collected $6.76 million on its second weekend.

Universal's PG-13 release shriveled by 60% from its opening for a ten-day domestic total of $30.6 million and $48.6 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $18 million.

Marvel's PG-13 action-thriller BLACK WIDOW was in fourth place with $6.42 million over its fourth weekend in theaters (and available on Disney+, which has prompted some ugly public contractual disputes). The $200 million Disney release is at a domestic total of $167 million and $343.5 million worldwide.

In fifth place was the new crime drama STILLWATER with an opening weekend of $5.1 million.

The R-rated drama, with an angry hatted Matt Damon (Mad Damon? Hat Damon?) trying to assist his imprisoned daughter (Abigail Breslin) in France, was yet another movie delayed (from last November) due to COVID-19.

Directed by Tom McCarthy (SPOTLIGHT, THE STATION AGENT), the release from Universal's Focus Features had a reported production cost of $20 million.

Critics were moderately intrigued by the clearly based on Amanda Knox story, giving the movie a 75% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 60. Get to the bottom of things with the JoBlo review HERE.

In sixth place was animated/live-action comedy SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY with $4.2 million on its third weekend. The PG-rated Warner Bros. sequel (also streaming on HBO Max) has a ten-day domestic total of $60.7 million and $118.6 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $150 million.

The PG-13 prequel SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS was in seventh place with $4 million, slashed by 70% from its opening last weekend. Paramount's ninja action movie starring Henry Golding and Samara Weaving has a ten-day domestic total of $22.2 million, on a cost rumored to be as much as $110 million.

In eighth place was the PG-13 action sequel F9: THE FAST SAGA with $2.6 million. After six domestic weekends, the $200 million Universal release has a domestic total of $168.5 million and $641.7 million worldwide.

Closing out the list were sequels ESCAPE ROOM: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS with $2.2 million and THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS with $1.3 million.

Outside the chart, sequel THE FOREVER PURGE came to an end along with A QUIET PLACE: PART II and documentary ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN.

Next weekend brings the anticipated release of James Gunn's R-rated DC Comics adaptation THE SUICIDE SQUAD (also on HBO Max).

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